Thursday, September 26, 2013

O Lord,
keep Your Church in Your perpetual mercy, and because without You we cannot but
fall, preserve us from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable
to our salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and
reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Genesis
2:18-25 (From the Daily Bible Story Lectionary)

18 Then the LORD
God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a
helper fit for1 him." 19
So out of the ground the LORD God formed1 every beast of the field
and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would
call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its
name. 20 The man gave names
to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the
field. But for Adam1 there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the LORD God caused a deep
sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed
up its place with flesh. 22
And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made1 into a
woman and brought her to the man. 23
Then the man said,

"This at last is bone of my
bones

and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called Woman,

because she was taken out of
Man."

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother
and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were
both naked and were not ashamed.

Catechism: The Creed—The First Article

What is the First Article?

I
believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

What does this mean?

I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me
my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses,
and still takes care of them.

He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house, and home,
wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides
me with all that I need to support this body and life.

He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all
evil.

All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy,
without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and
praise, serve and obey Him.

This is most certainly true.

Devotion

In the name of T Jesus.

And the man and his wife were both naked and were not
ashamed. We tend to focus on the
nakedness, and are tempted to think that is the main difference between Adam
and Eve prior to the fall, and all of humanity since the fall. And granted; that is different. But what is most significant is that they
were completely unashamed.

Since Adam and Eve were created in the image of God, and
were in complete communion with the will of God, there was absolutely no reason
for shame. Their bodies were beautifully
good, and there was no lust in their hearts.
They worked the earth and never complained. They were joined in the one-flesh union of
holy matrimony and there was no burden.
Their every act, word, thought, and desire was good and pleasing. And there was no shame.

We’ve never known such an existence. Our whole lives have been lived with a will
that is contrary to the will of God.
Since sin entered through Adam, and Adam has passed it on to every human
since, we have been conceived in sin, brought forth in iniquity, and have had
every sinful desire known to man flowing from our hearts. Where Adam and Eve were completely unashamed,
the Law of God declares that we have every reason for shame.

But not in Christ.

In Christ, God heals our shame. Not by allowing us to ignore our sin, but by
taking our shamefulness and putting it upon Jesus. By virtue of our sin and guilt and shame being
nailed with Christ to the cross, we are declared to be shameless, new creations
once again (1 Jn 2:28).

Like Adam and Eve, who stood before God without any
reason for shame, in Christ, we can stand without shame once again.

In the name of T Jesus. Amen.

Prayer

Jesus, Thy boundless love to me

No thought can
reach, no tongue declare;

Unite Thy love possess me whole,

And reign
without a rival there!

Thine wholly, Thine alone I am;

Be Thou alone
my constant flame.

O grant that nothing in my soul

May dwell, but
Thy pure love alone;

Oh, may Thy love possess me whole,

My joy, my
treasure, and my crown!

All coldness from my heart remove;

My ev’ry act,
word, thought be love. (LSB, 683:1 & 2)

Daily Prayer (For Thursday)

We pray…for the Church and her pastors; for teachers,
deaconesses, and other church workers; for missionaries and for all who serve
the Church; for fruitful and salutary use of the blessed Sacrament of Christ’s
body and blood.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

O Lord,
keep Your Church in Your perpetual mercy, and because without You we cannot but
fall, preserve us from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable
to our salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and
reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Genesis
2:1-10 (From the Bible Story Lectionary)

1 Thus the
heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God
finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all
his work that he had done. 3
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from
all his work that he had done in creation.

Catechism: The Creed—The First Article

What is the First Article?

I
believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

What does this mean?

I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me
my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses,
and still takes care of them.

He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house, and home,
wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides
me with all that I need to support this body and life.

He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all
evil.

All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy,
without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and
praise, serve and obey Him.

This is most certainly true.

Devotion

In the name of T Jesus.

He was finished, and the earth was complete. The entire creation was in place, well-ordered,
and working as He had given it to work.
Now He could rest.

In the Old Testament, the people of God were commanded to
observe the Sabbath in likewise manner. In
Exodus, we read, “Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to
death” (Ex 31:15). By their resting,
they were to recall God’s work of creation, and rest in the peace of knowing
that the Father who created all things, will protect, preserve, and provide for
them. Sabbath was given as a day for God’s
people to remember His work and His promises.
Sabbath was a gift.

Fast forward to the time of Jesus. The Sabbath had been turned from a day of
rest—a gift to ponder and consider the promises of God—into another legalistic
demand by which the Jewish leaders could justify themselves. Take too many steps, or serve your neighbor in
need, and you were guilty of breaking the Sabbath—never mind the Law to love
your neighbor! But Jesus restores the
Sabbath, and returns it to its properly place among the people of God. Jesus makes sure that we have it as a gift,
and not as another legalistic demand of burden.

Just as God had finished His work of creation before He
rested, so too, Jesus finishes His work of redemption so that there can be rest
once again. What was once good, and
well-ordered, and working the way God had given it to work, was in need of
restoration and redemption from the its corruption. And so Jesus accomplishes that
redemption. He is conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of Mary. He lives a life of perfect
love toward God, and in never-ending love towards His neighbor. Legalistic regulations won’t stop Jesus from
fulfilling the Law of love, and serving His neighbor perfectly. In Jesus, the entire Law of God is fulfilled,
including even the command to rest.

And now, because of Jesus, Sabbath is once again the gift
God had given it to be. For whether you
take the day to work in the yard and spend time with your family, your rest is
found in hearing the promises of God in Christ.
Because of Jesus, we don’t observe the Sabbath by being lazy, or making
sure not to do “too much” work. We keep
the Sabbath holy by treating God’s Word as holy and sacred. We keep the Sabbath by setting aside time
each week to have Jesus placed into our ears through the preaching and teaching
of the Gospel. We keep the Sabbath by
being in the Father’s house, where He feeds us with the body and blood of His
Son. For true rest comes not in stopping
our work, but in hearing and believing the promises of God in Christ.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). You
work hard, and life brings burdens upon you.
So whatever you have on your calendar this week or next, remember the
Sabbath, and in His Word of promise, Jesus will give you the give of rest, as
you have peace in His promises.

In the name of T Jesus.

Prayer

We praise You, O Lord, for the day of rest that our
bodies need. We exalt You, O Christ, for the eternal rest that You have won for
us! Amen (TLSB, p. 15).

Daily Prayer (For Wednesday)

We pray…for marriage and family, that husbands and wives,
parents and children live in ordered harmony according to the Word of God; for parents
who must raise children alone; for our communities and neighborhoods.

Monday, September 23, 2013

O Lord,
keep Your Church in Your perpetual mercy, and because without You we cannot but
fall, preserve us from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable
to our salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and
reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Genesis
1:1-19 (From the Daily Bible Story Lectionary)

1 In the
beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and
void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was
hovering over the face of the waters.

3 And God said,
"Let there be light," and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was
good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and
the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the
first day. 6 And God said,
"Let there be an expanse1 in the midst of the waters, and let
it separate the waters from the waters."
7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were
under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was
so. 8 And God called the
expanse Heaven.1 And there was evening and there was morning, the
second day.

9 And God said,
"Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and
let the dry land appear." And it was so.
10 God called the dry land Earth,1 and the waters
that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11 And God said,
"Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants1 yielding seed, and
fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind,
on the earth." And it was so. 12
The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own
kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind.
And God saw that it was good. 13
And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

14 And God said,
"Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day
from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons,1 and for days
and years, 15 and let them be
lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it
was so. 16 And God made1
the two great lights - the greater light to rule the day and the lesser
light to rule the night - and the stars.
17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give
light on the earth, 18 to
rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the
darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19
And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

Catechism: The Creed—The First Article

What is the First Article?

I believe
in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

What does this mean?

I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me
my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses,
an dstill takes care of them.

He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house, and home,
wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides
me with all that I need to support this body and life.

He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all
evil.

All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without
any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise,
serve and obey Him.

This is most certainly true.

Devotion

In the name of T Jesus.

God speaks, and His Word does what it says. We see it over and over in Genesis, chapter
1; God said…and there was.

Sometimes we forget that the creative power of His Word did
not evaporate, but continues on still today.
But where it gave creation in Genesis, it gives new creation now.

Hearts that were complete sinful are given a new and
right spirit (Psalm 51). Minds that were
alienated and hostile to God are renewed through the preaching of repentance
and forgiveness. Wills that were weak
and bound to sin, in Baptism, are freed from sin’s bondage and incorporated
into Christ.

And all of it happens by a Word. All of it happens through a powerful,
CREATIVE, Word that does what it says.
For the Word which brought creation, now brings the new creation, even
among us.

In the name of T Jesus. Amen.

Prayer

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right
spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy
Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a
willing spirit (Psalm 51:10-12).

Daily Prayer (For Monday)

We pray…for faith to live in the promises of Holy
Baptism; for one’s calling and daily work; for the unemployed; for the
salvation and well-being of our neighbors; for schools, colleges, and
seminaries; for good government and for peace.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Lord
Jesus, You are the Good Shepherd, without whom nothing is secure. Rescue and
preserve us that we may not be lost forever but follow You, rejoicing in the
way that leads to eternal life; for You live and reign with the Father and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Exodus
32:1-14 (From the Bible Story Lectionary)

1 When the
people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people
gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, "Up, make us gods
who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the
land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." 2 So Aaron said to them,
"Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons,
and your daughters, and bring them to me."
3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in
their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4
And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool
and made a golden1 calf. And they said, "These are your gods, O
Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an
altar before it. And Aaron made proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be
a feast to the LORD." 6
And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought
peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to
play.

7 And the LORD
said to Moses, "Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the
land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.
8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I
commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped
it and sacrificed to it and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought
you up out of the land of Egypt!'" 9
And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, it is a
stiff-necked people. 10 Now
therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may
consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you."

11 But Moses
implored the LORD his God and said, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot
against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great
power and with a mighty hand? 12
Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill
them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn
from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and
Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, 'I
will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I
have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it
forever.'" 14 And the
LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

Catechism: The Ten Commandments—The Close of the Commandments

What does God say about all these commandments?

He says:
“I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of
the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but
showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
Exodus 20:5-6

What does this mean?

God threatens to punish all who break these commandments. Therefore, we
should fear His wrath and not do anything against them. But he promises grace
and every blessing to all who keep these commandments. Therefore, we should
also love and trust in Him and gladly do what He commands.

Devotional Thoughts

In the name of T Jesus.

There are many times, when having to discipline our
children, when Jamie and I talk sense into one another. And usually, she’s the one talking sense into
me. One of the kids has done something,
or together they have done something, that is intentionally disobedient, and
before I go to lay down the law, Jamie will offer a few words, and remind me of
the love that I’ve been called to give to them.
She’s not intending to keep me from disciplining them—which she has no
problem doing herself, by the way—she’s just reminding me that my discipline
should be padded with love, so to speak.

In the case of the Israelites, they were about to be on
the receiving end of God’s powerful wrath.
There they were, having taking off their rings and earrings, and
worshipping the golden calf—the graven image which Aaron had fashioned out of
their gold. The people responded with
praise for the calf: “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of
the land of Egypt.” And then Aaron, who
was supposed to be Moses’ right-hand-man built an altar before it.

Of course, their idolatry was not lost on the one who
Himself had brought them out of Egypt, and who Himself was their God. As their false worship was offered, the LORD’s
anger was kindled. In anger, he intended
to bring down His wrath on this idolatrous people, and start again from scratch
with Moses.

But the Israelites had a mediator. The Israelites, sinful though they were, had
Moses pleading their case before the LORD.
The LORD was hot—literally. And
by reminding the LORD of the promises He had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
Moses was able to cool him down, so that the LORD would have His discipline
padded with the loving promises He had given.
For the LORD will remember His promises.

Of course, the Israelites were not off the hook, and were
not without punishment. If we would keep
reading on to verse 20, we would see how they were made to burn that calf, to
melt it down, and to drink into them the very god which they had created. That was creative discipline, I would say;
not the kind of consequence that would allow their foolishness to be forgotten
so quickly.

With Moses serving as mediator, the LORD’s anger had
cooled, and the LORD “relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing
on his people.” But even more, to these idolaters,
the LORD would renew His covenantal promises, and continue to be their
God. He would not put them off, but
would keep them, and would continue to build them up into a nation—for His steadfast
love endures forever.

Of course, the Israelites aren’t the only ones with a
mediator. 1 Timothy 2:5 reminds us that
there is “one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Hebrews chapter 3 reminds us that where Moses
was faithful, Jesus “has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much
more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.”

Where Moses pleaded for the Israelites, the blood of Jesus
pleads the case for all mankind. The
death of Jesus was a atoning sacrifice for the Israelite’s idolatry and our
own. And where Moses had cooled the LORD”s
wrath, Jesus satisfies it by taking it upon Himself. And now, as children of the Father, even when
we are disciplined, it is a discipline padded by love, and mercy, and never
apart from the one who is pleading on our behalf—Jesus Christ Himself.

In the name of T Jesus. Amen.

Prayer

O Christ, Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the
world, thank You for giving Yourself for me. Forgive my sin, and strengthen me
to believe in You and love You. Amen (TLSB, p. 152).

Daily Prayer (For Tuesday)

We pray…for deliverance against temptation and evil; for
the addicted and despairing, the tortured and oppressed; for those struggling
with sin.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Lord
Jesus, You are the Good Shepherd, without whom nothing is secure. Rescue and
preserve us that we may not be lost forever but follow You, rejoicing in the
way that leads to eternal life; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Exodus
20:1-6 (From the Daily Bible Story Lectionary)

1 And God spoke
all these words, saying, 2
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of
the house of slavery. 3
"You shall have no other gods before1 me. 4 "You shall not make for
yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,
or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them
or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity
of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those
who hate me, 6 but showing
steadfast love to thousands1 of those who love me and keep my
commandments.

Catechism: The Ten Commandments—The Close of the Commandments

What does God say about all these commandments?

He says:
“I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of
the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but
showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My
commandments.” Exodus 20:5-6

What does this mean?

God threatens to punish all who break these commandments. Therefore, we
should fear His wrath and not do anything against them. But he promises grace
and every blessing to all who keep these commandments. Therefore, we should
also love and trust in Him and gladly do what He commands.

Devotion (Taken from the note in Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions)

In the name of T Jesus.

Command and promise; Law and Gospel. That’s what we have in these words from
Exodus 20. On the one hand, we have the
clear reality of an all-powerful God who is just, and jealous, and promises to
punish those who would not believe in Him.
But on the other hand, this same all-powerful, just, and jealous God is
loving to all, and will show mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments. The Law threatens those who deny Him; but the
Gospel promises every blessing to those who have faith in Him.

In the meaning of The Close of the Commandments, Luther
says it so clearly: “God threatens to punish all who break these
commandments. Therefore, we should fear
His wrath and not do anything against them.”
Who can argue against that? Only
those who would reject His existence, or His authority, or disagree with His
Word, would be foolish enough to ignore this. But if this is the Word of the only true God,
then this Word is to be taken as authoritative, and its threats are to be taken
lightly.

But he who has faith, will not ignore these words. How could he?
If faith exists in the heart, then that person believes in the one true
God, and trusts in His Word, and takes it seriously. If faith exists in the heart, where God has
promised to punish sin, the faithful person agrees that God is just in doing so—even
if he sees that sin in himself. If there
is faith in the heart, and sin is made known, the promise of threat will lead
to contrition, and repentance. And where
there is repentance, what follows is the promise.

God’s love and mercy is promised to those who would not
deny Him, but trust in Him. Even though
our flesh is set against Him, and we daily fall short of the glory of God, the
Lord is merciful to those who know Him, and believe in Him. And while they will be unable to keep His
high demands, they will not ignore them, or deny them, or treat them as
unimportant. How could they? They’re the demands of God.

No, where there is faith, there is forgiveness. But where there is faith, there is also a
person who sees God’s will as good and wise, and endeavors to keep it, even
handing it over to children and grandchildren—to those thousands of generations
that would continue to love Him and keep His commandments.

To be sure, the Lord has given commands, and has promised
to punish sin. But thanks be to God,
that for those who know him, and believe in Him, sin is put away on account of
Christ, and every blessing is given.

In the name of T Jesus. Amen.

Prayer

“You have this Law to see therein That you have not been
free from sin But also that you clearly see How pure toward God life should be.
Have mercy, Lord!” Amen (LSB 581:11).

Daily Prayer (For Monday)

We pray…for faith to live in the promises of Holy
Baptism; for one’s calling and daily work; for the unemployed; for the
salvation and well-being of our neighbors; for schools, colleges, and
seminaries; for good government and for peace.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Luke 15:1-10 1 Now
the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the
scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with
them." 3 So he told them
this parable: 4 "What
man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave
the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until
he finds it? 5 And when he
has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls
together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I
have found my sheep that was lost.' 7
Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who
repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. 8 "Or what woman, having ten
silver coins,1 if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and
sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she
calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have
found the coin that I had lost.' 10
Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who
repents."

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of (our) heart(s) be
acceptable in your sight, O LORD, (our) rock and (our) redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

In the name of T
Jesus.

Tax
collectors and sinners were coming to Jesus; and even more, these tax
collectors and sinners were coming to Jesus in order to hear him. These poor, miserable, sinners, had ears that
were opened, and they were desiring to hear the Words which Jesus would have to
speak to them. Like Peter, in the Gospel
of John, who says, “Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life,” These sinners and tax collectors
had come to Jesus in order to hear the Words of Jesus, and in the Words of
Jesus, they would be given, and promised, and blessed to receive eternal
life. The Pharisees and scribes, on the
other hand; they were grumbling. They
were appalled that Jesus would receive such sinners, and that he would choose
to eat with them too. And so they
grumbled, and their ears remained closed, and they rejected the work, and the
word of the one who had come only for sinners.

Poor,
helpless sinners who have ears to hear; and self-righteous fools, who would
rather not listen: these are the people to whom Jesus speaks the parables in
Luke 15. Ears that are open and eager to
hear, and ears that will do everything in their power to remain closed: these
are two completely different audiences to whom Jesus is speaking, and yet, to
these completely different audiences Jesus speaks the very same words—the
parables in Luke 15.

To
those tax collectors and sinners Jesus speaks the Parables of the lost sheep
and the lost coin. And to those
self-righteous grumblers known as the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus speaks the
Parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin.
And while Jesus speaks the very same Words to both of his audiences,
Jesus does not intend for His Words to do the same thing for those drastically
different groups. Not in the least! No, what Jesus intends his Words to do for
open and eager ears, despite their sin, is quite different from what Jesus intends
his Words to do for those self-righteous grumbles who are denying their sin. So what does Jesus intend for His Words to do
for those self-righteous grumblers?

Well,
to say it plainly, he wants His Words—the parables of the lost sheep and
coin—to convict them of their sin. There
they are, self-righteous, and thinking that they aren’t at all like those
sinners. And yet, Jesus has come only
for sinners. If they continue to think,
and to believe that they are without sin, then they will only be deceiving
themselves, and the truth of their spiritual poverty will continue to avoid
them.

Jesus
knows that their hearts are hard. He knows that they are grumbling because they
think too highly of themselves. Jesus
has come to save sinners, and these Pharisees and scribes are so self-righteous
that they aren’t willing to include themselves in that category; which means
that their ears will remain closed to the proclamation of Jesus’ life-saving
message of forgiveness, life, and salvation for poor miserable sinners. What they need is to be convicted; to be
shown the sin that lingers within, so that they might be brought to contrition
and repentance. Jesus desires that his
Words would bring them to freely confess that they have not kept God’s perfect
Law; that they have no righteousness of their own; that they daily fall short
of the glory of God; that they are sinners too.
For apart from this confession, their grumbling will never end, and they
will always see Jesus as someone else’s savior.
I mean, if you aren’t a sinner, why would you need a savior?

So
Jesus speaks of a sheep that has gone astray.
And in His speaking of such a sheep, He is speaking of them. He’s speaking of those Pharisees and scribes
who, in denying their sin and their need for a savior, they have left the flock
of the faithful.

And
Jesus speaks of a coin that is lost in darkness. And in His speaking of such a coin, He is
speaking of those who are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the
life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of
heart. He’s speaking of those
self-righteous grumblers who, although they were supposed to know God, they
were not honoring him, or giving thanks to him, but had become futile in their
thinking, and foolish in the hearts which were darkened to the light of Jesus.

Do
you know what happens to a sheep that finds itself alone, and apart from the
flock? It doesn’t call out and make
noise so that it can be found, for it knows that it might be found by a
predator. No, a sheep that finds itself
alone, will just lie there, helpless, and will refuse to move.

And
do you know what happens to a single silver coin that is lost at night in a
home with no light? It does not sparkle,
hoping to catch your eye. It just lies
there, dark, and unable to be found. You
see, sheep that have gone astray can’t help themselves any more than a single
coin in a dark home can find itself.
Both are completely helpless. If
the shepherd does not come, and if the light is not on, both will remain lost
forever.

But
there, in Luke 15, the shepherd had come.
In fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy, Jesus had come, searching for His
sheep, and seeking them out. Like a
shepherd that seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been
scattered, so in speaking the words of Luke 15 to those Pharisees and Scribes
Jesus was seeking the lost, so that the lost would be found. It is the lost that the Father sent Jesus to
seek, and to rescue and to bring out of their darkness. And so, to these lost sheep of Israel, Jesus
speaks these parables so that they would be brought to repentance, and the
angels in heaven could rejoice.

That’s
what Jesus intends for His Law to do for all who cling to sin. He intends to put the perfect Law of God
before you, with its high demands, so that you might see your sin, and flee
from it. He does this for self-righteous
sinners who deny their sin completely, but He does this also for Christians. He
does this for Christians who carry around this body of flesh, with its sinful
desires. He does this for Christians who cling to their sins of pride, or
selfishness, or envy, or lust or something else. He does this for Christians who are tempted
to hang on to their sin, rather than crucifying it in repentance and
faith. And so Jesus gives the Law to
all: Christians and non-Christians alike.
To those who are comfortable in their sin, He gives the Law so that they
might grow uncomfortable, and learn to confess it. But to those who know their sin, the Law is
given so that sin will not become comfortable once again.

You
see, Jesus desires all to be saved. His
desire is that all would cling to him in repentance and faith. And since the Law brings knowledge of sin, Jesus
gives the Law, so that we might always hear Him, as that other audience would
hear Him. He gives the Law, so that we
would see our need for a savior!

So
what about that other audience? What
about those tax collectors and sinners?
What was Jesus’ intention in speaking these parables to them? If Jesus wanted to bring one group to
contrition and repentance; if Jesus’ words were supposed to bring the
self-righteous to see their sin, and confess it, what were His words supposed
to do for those who already knew their sin, and were terrified by it?

Well,
if His words were meant to convict the one audience, His words were meant to
console the other. You see, while that
first group would have a problem seeing itself as lost, and would need to be
brought to repentance, those tax collectors and sinners would see their sin and
fear that they would be lost because of it.
All around, and wherever they looked, everyone knew that they were
sinners—and they knew it themselves. But
when Jesus would speak, they were drawn to him, and they would come to him,
because Jesus spoke of a kingdom that was for sinners, rather than a kingdom
that would exclude them. And so, they
desired to be hearers of His Word—sinners though they were. And to these poor miserable sinners, Jesus
tells the very same parables, but He tells them with a different intended
affect. Where Jesus had previously
needed to convict, and to give contrition, so that there might be confession, to
terrified sinners, Jesus desires to console, so that there might be
comfort. After all, it was for sinners
that He came.

Jesus
intends to console them, and to comfort them, and to give them knowledge of a
Shepherd that is seeking them. He wants
them to know that they have been found by a shepherd who has left the flock to
search for them. He wants them to know
that the light is on, for the light has come, and the darkness of their sin
will not prevail.

That
is how it is for sinners who have been separated from the flock, and whose sin
has darkened their lives. Jesus has
come. The Father has sent him. He has laid down His life for the sheep. He is the Good Shepherd that seeks to find
the lost. He is the Good Shepherd that
searches, and seeks, and speaks His Word of promise to all who are afraid that
their sin will separate them from the love of God. And so, to an audience that is desperate that
is afraid of being lost, and is desperate to hear Good News, he speaks of a
shepherd so that they would know they have been found in Him.

And
he speaks of darkness being turned to light, for Jesus has come, and in Him the
darkness of sin has been turned to the light of life. He is the light of the world. To sinners whose lives have been lived in
darkness and are afraid that is where they’ll remain, the Word that Jesus
speaks is a lamp to their feet, and a light for their path. What was lost in darkness, is found in the
light as Jesus consoles and comforts those who are desperate to know that they
will not be excluded forever.

Tax
Collectors and sinners were coming to Jesus; and they were coming to Jesus in
order to hear Him. These poor miserable
sinners had ears that were opened, and they desired to hear the words which
Jesus would speak to them. They had come
to Jesus to hear the Words of Jesus, and in the Words of Jesus, they would be
comforted and consoled, as they heard of a Shepherd who seeks who saves the
lost. For while the Pharisees and
scribes might have grumbled at the fact, it is really good news, that Jesus
came into the world only for sinners. Because
that means Jesus came to save you.

It
is Friendship Sunday. We are glad you
are here. And whether Jesus’ words today
have convicted you, consoled you, or both, we are thankful, that today we can
say without a doubt, that Jesus is a friend of sinners. In the name of T Jesus.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Brace yourself…this is a long one for a Friday. Most of the thoughts from the Augsburg
Confession have been rather brief. But
not this week’s; this week’s is quite lengthy.
Maybe that should tell us something about the Lutheran Reformer’s earnest
desire to maintain an understanding that Good Works are necessary. But the question is, FOR WHAT? See what the Lutheran Church believes about
good works. Enjoy!

Collect
of the Week (Proper 18-C)

O
merciful Lord, You did not spare Your only Son but delivered Him up for us all.
Grant us courage and strength to take up the cross and follow Him, who lives
and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Article
XX (Good Works)

1 Our teachers are falsely accused
of forbidding good works. 2 Their published writings on the
Ten Commandments, and other similar writings, bear witness that they have
usefully taught about all estates and duties of life. They have taught well
what is pleasing to God in every station and vocation in life. 3
Before now, preachers taught very little about these things. They encouraged
only childish and needless works, such as particular holy days, particular
fasts, brotherhoods, pilgrimages, services in honor of the saints, the use of
rosaries, monasticism, and such things. 4 Since our
adversaries have been admonished about these things, they are now unlearning
them. They do not preach these unhelpful works as much as they used to. 5
In the past, there was only stunning silence about faith, but now they are
beginning to mention it. 6 They do not teach that we are
justified only by works. They join faith and works together, and say that we
are justified by faith and works. 7 This teaching is more
tolerable than the former one. It can offer more consolation than their old
teaching.

8 The doctrine about faith, which
ought to be the chief doctrine in the Church, has remained unknown for so long.
Everyone has to admit that there was the deepest silence in their sermons
concerning the righteousness of faith. They only taught about works in the
churches. This is why our teachers teach the churches about faith in this way.

9 First, they teach that our works
cannot reconcile God to us or merit forgiveness of sins, grace, and
justification. We obtain reconciliation only by faith when we believe that we
are received into favor for Christ’s sake. He alone has been set forth as the
Mediator and Atoning Sacrifice (1 Timothy 2:5), in order that the Father may be
reconciled through Him. 10 Therefore, whoever believes that
he merits grace by works despises the merit and grace of Christ [Galatians
5:4]. In so doing, he is seeking a way to God without Christ, by human
strength, although Christ Himself said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the
life” (John 14:6).

11 This doctrine about faith is
presented everywhere by Paul, “By grace you have been saved through faith. And
this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

12 If anyone wants to be tricky and
say that we have invented a new interpretation of Paul, this entire matter is
supported by the testimony of the Fathers. 13 Augustine
defends grace and the righteousness of faith in many volumes against the merits
of works. 14 Ambrose, in his book The Calling of the Gentiles,
and elsewhere, teaches the same thing. In The Calling of the Gentiles he says,

Redemption
by Christ’s blood would be worth very little, and God’s mercy would not surpass
man’s works, if justification, which is accomplished through grace, were due to
prior merits. So justification would not be the free gift from a donor, but the
reward due the laborer.

15 Spiritually inexperienced people
despise this teaching. However, God-fearing and anxious consciences find by
experience that it brings the greatest consolation. Consciences cannot be set
at rest through any works, but only by faith, when they take the sure ground
that for Christ’s sake they have a gracious God. 16 As Paul
teaches, “since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God”
(Romans 5:1). 17 This whole doctrine must be related to the
conflict of the terrified conscience. It cannot be understood apart from that
conflict. 18 Therefore, inexperienced and irreverent people
have poor judgment in this matter because they dream that Christian
righteousness is nothing but civil and philosophical righteousness.

19 Until now consciences were plagued
with the doctrine of works. They did not hear consolation from the Gospel. 20
Some people were driven by conscience into the desert and into monasteries,
hoping to merit grace by a monastic life. 21 Some people came
up with other works to merit grace and make satisfaction for sins. 22
That is why the need was so great for teaching and renewing the doctrine of
faith in Christ, so that anxious consciences would not be without consolation
but would know that grace, forgiveness of sins, and justification are received
by faith in Christ.

23 People are also warned that the
term faith does not mean simply a knowledge of a history, such as the ungodly
and devil have [James 2:19]. Rather, it means a faith that believes, not merely
the history, but also the effect of the history. In other words, it believes
this article: the forgiveness of sins. We have grace, righteousness, and
forgiveness of sins through Christ.

24 The person who knows that he has a
Father who is gracious to him through Christ truly knows God [John 14:7]. He
also knows that God cares for him [1 Peter 5:7], and he calls upon God [Romans
10:13]. In a word, he is not without God, as are the heathen. 25
For devils and the ungodly are not able to believe this article: the
forgiveness of sins. Hence, they hate God as an enemy [Romans 8:7] and do not
call Him [Romans 3:11–12] and expect no good from Him. 26
Augustine also warns his readers about the word faith and teaches that the term
is used in the Scriptures, not for the knowledge that is in the ungodly, but
for the confidence that consoles and encourages the terrified mind.

27 Furthermore, we teach that it is
necessary to do good works. This does not mean that we merit grace by doing
good works, but because it is God’s will [Ephesians 2:10]. 28
It is only by faith, and nothing else, that forgiveness of sins is apprehended.
29 The Holy Spirit is received through faith, hearts are
renewed and given new affections, and then they are able to bring forth good
works. 30 Ambrose says: “Faith is the mother of a good will
and doing what is right.” 31 Without the Holy Spirit people
are full of ungodly desires. They are too weak to do works that are good in
God’s sight [John 15:5]. 32 Besides, they are in the power of
the devil, who pushes human beings into various sins, ungodly opinions, and
open crimes. 33 We see this in the philosophers, who,
although they tried to live an honest life could not succeed, but were defiled
with many open crimes. 34 Such is human weakness, without
faith and without the Holy Spirit, when governed only by human strength.

35 Therefore, it is easy to see that
this doctrine is not to be accused of banning good works. Instead, it is to be
commended all the more because it shows how we are enabled to do good works. 36
For without faith, human nature cannot, in any way, do the works of the First
or Second Commandment [1 Corinthians 2:14]. 37 Without faith,
human nature does not call upon God, nor expect anything from Him, nor bear the
cross [Matthew 16:24]. Instead, human nature seeks and trusts in human help. 38
So when there is no faith and trust in God, all kinds of lusts and human
intentions rule in the heart [Genesis 6:5]. 39 This is why
Christ says, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). That is why the
Church sings: “Lacking Your divine favor, there is nothing in man. 40
Nothing in him is harmless.” (Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions. Edited by
Paul Timothy McCain. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005, S. 42).

Note:

This is another key article in the
Augsburg Confession. Article XX offers more details about faith and works than
what was previously written. Lutherans insist on the biblical truth that our
good works do not save us. So they are sometimes accused of opposing good
works. This article sets forth the Bible’s clear teaching that good works are
the fruit of faith, not the cause of our salvation. The Lutheran hymn
“Salvation unto Us Has Come” offers a short, powerful summary of these
essential Gospel truths:

Rome continues to insist that people
are saved by God’s grace, but not through faith alone. This teaching
dangerously encourages people to believe they are able, even in some small way,
to contribute toward their salvation. This diverts their focus from Christ and
His merits to their own works. It also leads to despair, doubt, and uncertainty
when people come to realize the enormity of their sin and wonder if in fact
they have done “enough” to merit or deserve God’s favor. After setting forth
the proper biblical distinction between faith and good works, the Augsburg
Confession asserts very clearly that our good works are necessary, not to merit
grace, but because this is God’s will for our lives. God’s gift of saving faith
enables us to do good works. (See also Ap
XX; SA III XIII; FC Ep
IV and SD IV.) (Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions.
Edited by Paul Timothy McCain. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005,
S. 41).

Prayer

Almighty, everlasting God, for our
many sins we justly deserve eternal condemnation. In Your mercy You sent Your
dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who won for us forgiveness of sins and
everlasting salvation. Grant us a true confession that, dead to sin, we may be
raised up by Your life-giving absolution. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may
be ever watchful and live true and godly lives in Your service; through Jesus
Christ, our Lord (LSB, collect #153).

Daily Prayer (For Friday)

We pray…for the preaching of the holy cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ and for the spread of His knowledge throughout the whole world;
for the persecuted and oppressed; for the sick and dying.